Defying age and disability, 45-year-old Kashmiri woman clears Class 10 exams

Breaking the physical and age-related barriers, Renu Hans, a 45-year-old speech- and hearing-impaired Kashmiri woman clears JKBOSE Class 10 boards Kashmiri Pandit woman, has recently passed her Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) class 10 exam with an impressive 82 per cent.

Renu had previously appeared for the Class 10 exam before getting married but was unable to clear it. After 22 years, she again appeared for the bi-annual Class 10 board examination conducted by the JKBOSE in April. The results were declared by the board on September 10.

Her story remains incomplete without factoring in her perseverance, the stalwart support of her family and the constant efforts of her son. Naman Koul, Renu's only son, who is a Class 12 Science student, decided to take on the onus to make his mother fulfil her dream of finishing her education.

Keeping his own education on an equal pan with that of his mother's, he gave her lessons, helped her with her doubts and supported her throughout the journey. Also Read | How an introvert from Bengaluru cracked JEE and found a second family at IIT Guwahati "I felt that my mother should not be confined to the house.

If she studies, she can move forward in life. She always dreamt of studying and getting a good job. She had been carrying this dream for a very long time, and completing class 10 was the first step towards fulfilling that dream," Koul said.

Renu's family lives in a government flat in Lower Roop Nagar, on the outskirts of Jammu, after migrating from the Kashmir valley in the early 1990s. The family vacated its ancestral home, located in the Chawalgam village of south Kashmir's Kulgam district, amid the mass migration of the Kashmiri Pandit community.

Subsequently, they were allotted a flat with basic structure, comprising a bedroom, lobby, kitchen and bathroom, where the family now resides. Renu's husband, Bablu Koul, is also speech and hearing impaired person who earns a livelihood through tailoring from home.

Not letting the hardship and life challenge become any hurdle in their son's education, Bablu and Renu supported their son as he grew up. Remembering his mother's feeling of uneasiness on reaching the examination centre, Naman said, "She was a little scared and anxious because there were students much younger than her, as well as older candidates, including elderly people.

But with time, she settled down and became comfortable." He added that while finding a way to get his mother registered to appear for the examination he knew nothing about the scheme which would allow her to be enrolled as a student.

He approached the JKBOSE office, where he was informed that the scheme had been discontinued. But later on, after developments in the scheme, the family could finally manage to get her registered. Koul also managed his own class 12 Science studies alongside his mother's class 10 preparation.

He scheduled her lessons in the evenings and would help her with the doubts at night. Renu expressed gratitude to her husband for standing by her decision to continue education."My father gave her his full support. There was no anger or objection from his side.

He told her that even if she wanted to work, he would stand by her. She should not be afraid and should always remain confident," Naman said.